COVID-19 Origin Investigation
Germany’s foreign intelligence service in 2020 put at 80%-90% the likelihood that the coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic was accidentally released from China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, two German newspapers reported on Wednesday.
According to a joint report by publications Die Zeit and Sueddeutscher Zeitung, Germany’s spying agency BND had indications that the institute had conducted gain-of-function experiments, whereby viruses are modified to become more transmissible to humans for research purposes.
It also had indications that numerous violations of safety regulations had occurred at the lab, the papers said.
The spy agency assessment’s was based on an unspecified intelligence operation code-named “Saaremaa” as well as on publicly-available data. It had been commissioned by the office of Germany’s chancellor at the time, Angela Merkel, but never published, the report said.
Assessment and Reaction
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BND declined to comment. When asked about the report in a press conference, outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz also declined to comment on Wednesday.
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International Involvement
The papers reported that the assessment was, however, shared with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in the autumn of 2024.
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International Response
A CIA spokesperson said in January that the CIA has assessed that the COVID-19 pandemic is more likely to have emerged from a lab than from nature.
The CIA said at the time it had “low confidence” in its assessment and that both scenarios – lab origin and natural origin – remain plausible.
China’s government says it supports and has taken part in research to determine COVID-19’s origin, and has accused Washington of politicizing the matter, especially because of efforts by U.S. intelligence agencies to investigate.
Beijing has said there was no credibility to claims that a laboratory leak likely caused the pandemic.
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China’s Response
China’s foreign ministry said last month that the Wuhan Institute of Virology never carried out any gain-of-function research on coronaviruses and that it was not involved in the creation or leakage of the COVID-19 virus.
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt and Andreas Rinke in Berlin, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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Conclusion
The investigation into the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, with various countries and intelligence agencies weighing in on the likelihood of a lab leak. While the exact origin of the pandemic may never be known for certain, the ongoing research and debate highlight the importance of international cooperation and transparency in addressing global health crises.
FAQs
A: The exact origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is still under investigation, but various intelligence agencies and research institutions have suggested that a lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology is a possible scenario.
Q: What is the significance of the BND’s assessment?
A: The BND’s assessment, which puts the likelihood of a lab leak at 80-90%, is significant because it is based on an unspecified intelligence operation and publicly-available data, and was shared with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.
Q: How has China responded to the allegations of a lab leak?
A: China’s government has denied any credibility to claims of a laboratory leak, and has accused Washington of politicizing the matter. The Wuhan Institute of Virology has also denied conducting any gain-of-function research on coronaviruses.